Hopelab is a “social impact investment” private foundation that was founded by Pam Omidyar, the wife of eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, and is affiliated with the Omidyar nexus of left-of center nonprofits. The organization is focused on youth health and has left-of-center conceptions of intersectionality and equity ingrained in its grant-making and investments. These programs include promoting gender affirmation in minors. ^{1 2 3}

Founding and History

Hopelab was founded in 2002 by Pam Omidyar, the wife of eBay founder Pierre Omidyar. The organization’s first project was the development of a video game called “Re-Mission” that educates child-cancer patients about their illness and teaches them the importance of correctly following directions to take medicine and having proper nutrition and the like. ⁴

Hopelab has since branched out into numerous other projects related to youth and young adult physical and mental health. Some of these projects take the form of investment in for-profit companies, while others involve collaboration and funding with nonprofit organizations. ⁵

Financials

For the calendar year 2022, Hopelab reported $11,202,444 in revenue, of which $11,427,075 was derived from contributions and grants and $137,337 was derived from investment income. Revenue was less than contributions due to a net loss of $361,968 from the sale of assets. The foundation reported $12,260,881 in expenses, of which $950,666 was spent on executive compensation, $3,547,201 was spent on other employee salaries and compensation, and an additional $903,293 was spent on pension plans and employee benefits. Altogether operating and administrative expenses amounted to $11,340,666 with only $920,215 being paid out in contributions and grants. The foundation ended the year with $27,842,333 in net assets. ⁶

Hopelab qualifies its expenses differently under its tax filing’s summary of direct charitable activities, stating that it had expenses of $3,428,740 for advisory services related to the development of mental health products and services, $3,111,190 in grantmaking to fund scientific research, $1,711,210 in social impact investing, and $1,289,902 in programmatic activities related to mental health. ⁷

Regarding employee expenses, the group’s president, Margaret Laws, is paid over $600,000 in salary and benefits. An additional six employees receive over $200,000 in compensation, and five consulting firms received between $150,000 to over $500,000 in compensation. ⁸

Organization Philosophy and Programs

Hopelab is firmly rooted in left-of-center views regarding race, sexuality, and identity. It openly states that it seeks to advance “equity” with a special emphasis on LGBT issues and “BIPOC” (Black, indigenous, people of color). It solicits partnerships that, among other things, seeks to promote “identity affirmation.” ⁹

This identity affirmation includes the creation of the IMI app that is designed to affirm the sexual identities of children. ¹⁰

Hopelab has also launched an experimental project focused on youth mental health and environmental anxiety. The group notes that there is a high degree of anxiety around climate change among young people and burnout among young activists who engage in climate-related activism. The project is seeking to both alleviate this anxiety while simultaneously utilizing technology to facilitate even more youth activism on the issue. ¹¹

Leadership

Margaret Lewis is the president of Hopelab. She previously worked at the California HealthCare Foundation and established a fund to invest in health care service and technology companies that will potential lower costs and improve access. ¹²

Pamela Omidyar is the founder of Hopelab and a member of the board. She and her husband, Ebay founder Pierre Omidyar, founded and run the Omiydar Network that funds numerous left-of-center causes. ¹³

1. “About.” Hopelab. Accessed January 26, 2024. https://hopelab.org/about/.
2. “History.” Hopelab. Accessed January 29, 2024. https://hopelab.org/history/.
3. “Hopelab Imi.” Hopelab. Accessed January 26, 2024. https://lgbtq.hopelab.org/.
4. “History.” Hopelab. Accessed January 29, 2024. https://hopelab.org/history/.
5. “About.” Hopelab. Accessed January 26, 2024. https://hopelab.org/about/.
6. Hopelab Foundation, Return from a Private Foundation (990) Part I, 2022.
7. Hopelab Foundation, Return from a Private Foundation (990) Part VIII, 2022.
8. Hopelab Foundation, Return from a Private Foundation (990) Part VII, 2022.
9.  “About.” Hopelab. Accessed January 26, 2024. https://hopelab.org/about/.
10.  “Hopelab Imi.” Hopelab. Accessed January 26, 2024. https://lgbtq.hopelab.org/.
11. “The Role Technology Plays in Climate Justice.” Hopelab. Accessed January 26, 2024. https://hopelab.org/case-study/technology-climate-justice/.
12. “Margaret Laws | Hopelab.” Hopelab. Accessed January 29, 2024. https://hopelab.org/our-team/.
13. “Pam Omidyar.” Omidyar Network. Accessed January 29, 2024. https://omidyar.com/omidyar_team/pam-omidyar/.